How they did it differently: Meghan and Harry's introduction to Baby Sussex is their way of the future

After months of waiting, the time has finally come for the world to meet Baby Sussex – who, rather refreshingly, still doesn’t have a name.

From the start of their relationship, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have gone to great lengths to assert their independence and find a role within the British royal family that reflects that agency.

Over the years, Harry has expressed his unrest at his royal status, even revealing that he had planned on abandoning his title in favour of a normal life but chose to stay and fulfill his duties because of his love of grandmother Queen Elizabeth. His decision to marry an American woman with a successful career supported that desire to disassociate from expectations, and now that he’s a father, he is seeking to assert that independence even more.

It became clear early on that Harry took his duties to his family more seriously than anything and the decision not to follow in Kate Middleton and Prince William’s footsteps with a big reveal just hours after Meghan gave birth was further proof of this fact.

Today, the new parents looked as love as ever in St George’s Hall in Windsor Castle, just two days after their son was born, and beamed with pride as they posed for a handful of carefully selected media.

“It’s magic, it’s pretty amazing. I have the two best guys in the world so I’m really happy,” Meghan said proudly. “He has the sweetest temperament, he’s really calm.”

Harry, who was holding the newborn for the photocall, said: “It’s great. Parenting is amazing. It’s only been two and a half days, three days, but we’re just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy.”

Meghan was wearing high heels, her hair and makeup perfectly done and she wore a white trench dress, still proudly displaying her postpartum bump.

Although there was general upset by royal reporters that the Sussexes chose to keep details of the birth private and only invite certain press to syndicate the announcement, the fact that they obliged with an interview is more than Kate and William gave after their three children were born, supporting a relationship of cooperation. 

Royalists and some right wing publications tend to feel a bizarre ownership of royal children due to the complicated relationship of an existing monarchy in a contemporary society, and it’s clear they understand expectations, but they were never going to adhere to protocol in this way. And, for the most part, they have been greeted with almost unwavering support as a result.

Last week, Oprah Winfrey said she was thrilled her friend was doing things her own way and keeping it real in the process. “Who is ready to walk out and stand before the world and put that face on, you know, a day after you’ve had a baby? And truthfully, it ain’t nobody else’s business! That’s really the truth.”

The idea of it not being anyone’s business is true in that even the most public of figures deserve to be treated with dignity at vulnerable times, like immediately after giving birth, but this particular baby’s birth is of genuine public interest and to ignore the immense international interest in his arrival would be naive.

Meghan and Harry have put themselves forward as public figures in a bid to utilise their profiles as a force of good, and they are quick to make use of the power of the press when it suits them. This further complicates their choice to only pursue careers in public life on their terms.

Stateside, the British royal family are celebrities of the highest order and there is little (if any) historical consideration of their function other than to entertain us and support charities. In that case, it makes sense to include an American broadcaster at today’s photocall: Meghan is as American as it gets and her baby has automatic citizenship rights. Her decision to choose CBS in particular should come as no surprise given that her close friend Gayle King, fronts the network’s daily morning coverage.

Everything from the time they selected to introduce him (before 1pm to make the final deadline for American morning shows) has been a consideration of this baby’s biracial heritage.

It’s also worth considering that they prioritised American outlets because over there, the coverage of them as a couple is universally positive rather than the divisive representations of Meghan in the UK.

In typical royal announcements, top tier broadcasters like BBC and Sky News are granted access above all; but in this case, just four were selected including room for a television camera, a reporter from Press Association and a photographer syndicated images to the world’s media.

It was in stark contrast to the media scrum welcomed onto the grounds of Kensington Palace to announce their engagement in 2017.

It’s been a year and a half since that joyful day in Princess Diana Memorial Garden and the tonal shift in attitude towards Meghan has been dramatic to say the least. After the engagement, she was hailed as the future of the royal family, ready to bring them into the 21st century. These days, thanks to a combination of her close family members betraying her privacy at every opportunity and her Hollywood personality rubbing palace staff and some newspapers the wrong way has led to widespread negative reports.

To underestimate the impact this type of reporting has on Harry’s already precarious relationship with the press is foolish. Harry’s distaste for the media is well documented and the treatment of some outlets’ treatment of his wife has clearly only spurred this feeling, so his modus operandi as a new father is to protect his family at all costs – which shouldn’t be treated as ground-breaking as parents tend to want to look after their families.

Kate and William have always been obliged to do the ‘big reveal’ with their children as they are higher up the line of succession – more is expected of them and have accepted their fate in this way. Meghan and Harry, on the other hand, are trying to find the balancing act in giving royal watchers what they want without sacrificing too much of themselves.

It’s the first time a senior royal has been so blatant about this, which means this is only the beginning for what it sure to be an exciting few years as the old and new guard try to find a worthy compromise.

In the meantime, let’s take a moment to appreciate that truly adorable two-day-old baby!

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